Thousands of Texans support secession

A petition seeking Texas' secession from the United States that's been signed by tens of thousands of residents is gaining attention.

While the Texas petition does not explicitly name the re-election of President Obama as the reason to secede, it claimed the nation continues to suffer because of the "federal government's neglect to reform domestic and foreign spending."

As of Tuesday afternoon the Texas secession petition had more than 81,000 signatures, which would require a response from the White House.

Mark Jones, Rice University's Political Science Department Chair, said he does not think Texas will ever secede from the Union.

"It's fun for parlor conversations to talk about what if Texas became its own country, but it's not going to happen," said Jones. "It would create a lot of chaos and problems for Texas, because we're so intertwined with the rest of the nation from commerce, trade, rules and regulations. It would have a negative impact on the Texas economy."

Texas Governor Rick Perry raised the idea of secession back in 2009, but he has since made clear that he has no interest in it.